Reports: Lyoto Machida vs. Eryk Anders to headline UFC Fight Night 125

Eryk Anders called for a fight with former UFC champion Lyoto Machida, and that’s what he’ll get next.

A middleweight bout between Machida (22-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) and the undefeated Anders (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is set to headline UFC Fight Night 125, which takes place Feb. 3 in Belem, Brazil, and airs on FS1. MMA-Today.com broke the news, which was subsequently confirmed by MMAFighting.com.

Machida, the former 205-pound champion, is in the middle of a three-fight losing streak for the first time in his career. The 39-year-old Machida suffered the quickest loss of his career in October at UFC Fight Night 119 at the hands of Derek Brunson. The bout marked Machida’s return to competition after a layoff of 28 months – 18 due to a suspension issued by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

For Anders, the former University of Alabama football star, this will be his first UFC main event in his third promotional appearance. He scored a highlight-reel knockout of Rafael Natal in his July debut. And just last week Anders, 30, dominated Markus Perez for a unanimous-decision win at UFC Fight Night 123.

The latest UFC Fight Night 125 card includes:

• Eryk Anders vs. Lyoto Machida
• Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Morales
• Thiago “Marreta” Santos vs. Anthony Smith
• Luis Henrique vs. Timothy Johnson
• Priscila Cachoeira vs. Valentina Shevchenko
• Polyana Viana vs. Maia Stevenson

For more on UFC Fight Night 125, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.